Texas Rangers Blog

We boil down the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to Seattle game to its most essential elements:

• Player of game: With each start RHP Alexi Ogando seems to display a little more complete picture of a starting pitcher. He overcame a lack of command in the second and third innings, during which he threw 53 pitches, to give the Rangers six solid innings. Ogando would not have come back out for the seventh with 102 pitches already under his belt, but did say he felt a blister on his hand acting up a bit in the sixth. He has twice this season left a bit early with blister issues.

• Big moment: With a runner on first in the eighth inning and trailing by a run, Seattle cleanup hitter and C Miguel Olivo laid down a sacrifice bunt that caught the Rangers by surprise. RHP Pedro Strop rushed to field it, slid as he got to the ball and was late with his throw to first, allowing for the winning run to reach base.

• Key decision: Though he had already blown a one-run lead in the seventh, RHP Pedro Strop was sent back out to pitch the eighth once the Rangers regained the lead. Manager Ron Washington thought Strop’s split-finger fastball would be effective against Seattle’s left-handed leaning lineup. Strop had retired consecutive left-handed hitters to end the seventh-inning issue, but allowed a leadoff hit to Adam Kennedy in the eighth and the inning spun out from there.

• Statistically speaking: The Rangers have lost six times this season in which the opponent scored in its final at-bat. What’s more demoralizing is that it’s already happened five times in 14 road games. In addition, the Rangers lost for a second straight day when leading after six complete innings. They are the team’s first two losses when leading after six this season.

• Trivia and minutiae: In each of his last two appearances, LHP Darren Oliver has allowed the opponent to score the go-ahead run on his first pitch. Hideki Matsui homered in the 10th Monday; Jack Cust singled Tuesday. … RHP Alexi Ogando has allowed two runs or less and pitched at least six innings in five of his six starts. … SS Elvis Andrus extended his hitting streak to nine games the hard way – with a pinch-hit, suicide squeeze bunt. … Beyond their current three-game losing streak, which is the longest of the year, the Rangers have lost five of six and seven of nine.